Suggestions To Guard From Identity Theft

Identity theft may be the fastest growing criminal activity in the 20th Century, replacing illegal drug sales.

How Big is this Issue?

Banks, charge card companies and businesses that house servers storing passwords or other sensitive info all statement “break-ins”through Trojan viruses or other on the internet hacking methods – resulting within the loss of millions of pieces of info. Situations of lost information are employees promoting it and other lax protection measures resulting in thieves having entry to your identity.

Identity Thieves Want

- Your Name
- Date of Birth
- Home Address
- Phone Quantities
- Social Protection Number
- Driver’s License Number
- Charge card Numbers
- CW2 Security Code (the amount on the back of the charge card)
- Your Credit score Report
- ATM Charge cards
- Phone Calling Cards
- Home loan Details

Where Are They Obtaining Your Info?

- Banks
- Credit-Reference Agencies
- Retailers
- Credit card Networks
- Data-Brokerage Companies
- Payment Processing Companies
- Telephone Companies
- Schools
- Your Employer
- Doctors, Clinics and Health Departments
- Government Companies

There are other effective techniques:

- Dumpster Diving
- Mail Theft
- Retail Theft
- “Phishing”/pretexting/pretending
- Purse/Wallet Theft

What are Thieves Using Your Information For?

- Creating charges to your current credit charge cards
- Opening new credit cards inside your name
- Having telephone or utilities turned on
- Withdrawing cash from your current bank accounts
- Employment purposes
- Driver’s Licenses
- Tax Fraud
- Social Service benefits
- Student loans
- Company or Individual loans
- Health care
- Mortgage loans/leases
- Auto loans
- Using your ID when caught committing a crime

How Can You Protect Yourself?

- Maintain a photocopy of your credit cards, financial institution account quantities and expense account quantities in a secure
place
- Maintain your credit card receipts
- Set a “fraud alert” on all your credit score reports
- If you apply for credit score and the card doesn’t arrive on time, call the greeting card issuer
- Select difficult PIN quantities or passwords. (Don’t use birth dates, your mother’s maiden name, etc.)
- Never give personal info to anyone who sends you an email, a letter or calls you asking for it
- Shred individual information
- Do not use the ATM machine if someone is watching you
- Pay attention to what’s going on close to you – cell phones often have cameras in them. If somebody is standing by you having a cell telephone while you're entering a PIN number, block their view
- Review your bills every month. If there’s something you do not remember, call the creditor.
- Check your credit score statement at least as soon as a year
- Shop your cancelled checks safely.
- Do not leave your purse in plain sight when driving
- Maintain your valuables locked in the trunk or glove box when driving
- Make all personal information in your computer password protected
- Don’t carry info about your PIN quantities, passwords and account quantities inside your purse or wallet

Warning Signs that Your Identity May be Stolen:

- A loan application is denied, or you’re refused extended credit requests
- You are contacted by a debt-collection agency
- Your purse or wallet may be stolen, or your home broken into
- Unfamiliar activity on your credit score report

What to do if it Occurs to You:

- If your purse or wallet is stolen, call the police
- Contact your bank, charge card and other credit score extending companies and statement the theft
- Close accounts
- Contact the credit-reporting companies
- Have fraudulent activity removed immediately and monitor your credit statement each and every 90 days for that next year
- Set everything in writing
- File a report using the Federal Trade Commission
- Alter passwords in your existing accounts and produce new ones for new accounts

Discover identity theft protection. There are no guarantees you can maintain your information safe, by getting proactive actions to guard yourself, you are able to minimize your chances of having an “identity crisis”.